German Population in North Carolina by County : 2025 Ranking & Insights

According to U.S. Census estimates, the German population in North Carolina stands at 994,435. Every county reports a non-zero population, with Wake County leading at 119,398, followed by Mecklenburg County (97,360) and Guilford County (42,972). The combined total across counties is slightly lower than the statewide figure - a gap that may reflect rounding, data lag, or unassigned residents in certain census tracts. This analysis ranks all counties in North Carolina by their German population, offering a localized perspective on how the community is distributed across the state.

Top 5 counties with the largest German population in North Carolina

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  • 1
    Wake County
    German population in Wake County is 119,398
    10.37% of Wake County population is German
  • 2
    Mecklenburg County
    German population in Mecklenburg County is 97,360
    8.61% of Mecklenburg County population is German
  • 3
    Guilford County
    German population in Guilford County is 42,972
    7.91% of Guilford County population is German
  • 4
    Forsyth County
    German population in Forsyth County is 37,035
    9.58% of Forsyth County population is German
  • 5
    Buncombe County
    German population in Buncombe County is 32,963
    12.13% of Buncombe County population is German

Overview of German population in North Carolina

  • Population Count and Percentage: American Community Survey documents North Carolina with 994,435 German residents (9.4% of 10.6 million total state population), ranking the state at the 70th percentile nationally among U.S. jurisdictions for German demographic representation.
  • Comparison to State and National Averages: U.S. Census surveys show North Carolina's German demographic representation of 9.4% remains below the national average of 12.6%, positioning the state below typical U.S. demographic distribution patterns.
  • Share of Total National Population: Official American Community Survey records show North Carolina hosts 994,435 German residents, representing 2.4% of the nation's total German population of 41.8 million, establishing the state as a significant demographic concentration center within national boundaries.
  • Population Density per Square Mile: U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey data show North Carolina maintains 20.5 German Americans per square mile compared to the national average of 11.8, indicating higher demographic concentration relative to national averages.
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98 Counties in North Carolina Ranked by German Population

View Methodology
American Community Survey data [1] show German populations across every county in North Carolina, with demographic distributions ranging from the highest population in Wake County to the lowest in $rank_n_geo_name. The table below provides broader statistics, including total population figures, density measures, and demographic distributions based on current ACS data for all counties included in this analysis*.
counties in North Carolina ranked by German population count
Rank by German Population
County
German Population
% of Total County Population
% of Total North Carolina German Population
5 Year Rank Trend
1 Wake County 119,398 10.37% 12.01%
2 Mecklenburg County 97,360 8.61% 9.79%
3 Guilford County 42,972 7.91% 4.32%
4 Forsyth County 37,035 9.58% 3.72%
5 Buncombe County 32,963 12.13% 3.31%
6 Onslow County 27,841 13.35% 2.80%
7 Durham County 27,063 8.22% 2.72%
8 26,401 11.42% 2.65%
9 26,151 7.77% 2.63%
10 24,986 15.42% 2.51%
11 24,863 12.96% 2.50%
12 24,847 10.74% 2.50%
13 24,228 9.89% 2.44%
14 23,013 9.94% 2.31%
15 22,651 13.24% 2.28%
16 20,685 13.93% 2.08%
17 20,115 13.79% 2.02%
18 16,560 11.24% 1.67%
19 15,926 9.14% 1.60%
20 15,638 6.90% 1.57%
21 15,635 17.30% 1.57%
22 15,277 10.51% 1.54%
23 15,268 13.01% 1.54%
24 13,680 13.30% 1.38%
25 10,692 7.83% 1.08%
26 9,826 9.72% 0.99%
27 9,809 5.69% 0.99%
28 9,776 12.13% 0.98%
29 9,740 11.09% 0.98%
30 9,288 13.53% 0.93%
31 9,134 11.66% 0.92%
32 8,561 8.55% 0.86%
33 8,017 6.82% 0.81%
34 7,914 12.68% 0.80%
35 7,753 14.20% 0.78%
36 7,384 11.63% 0.74%
37 7,083 7.73% 0.71%
38 6,660 10.48% 0.67%
39 6,523 10.06% 0.66%
40 6,097 16.73% 0.61%
41 6,041 8.39% 0.61%
42 5,994 13.77% 0.60%
43 5,170 7.84% 0.52%
44 5,122 7.93% 0.52%
45 4,969 6.96% 0.50%
46 4,887 13.02% 0.49%
47 4,722 10.52% 0.47%
48 4,272 12.85% 0.43%
49 4,269 6.95% 0.43%
50 4,216 11.27% 0.42%
51 4,039 9.37% 0.41%
52 3,849 8.61% 0.39%
53 3,803 7.16% 0.38%
54 3,759 3.94% 0.38%
55 3,290 8.77% 0.33%
56 2,906 9.95% 0.29%
57 2,892 7.08% 0.29%
58 2,857 6.41% 0.29%
59 2,853 3.63% 0.29%
60 2,570 4.68% 0.26%
61 2,488 12.64% 0.25%
62 2,454 9.15% 0.25%
63 2,236 5.69% 0.22%
64 2,215 12.55% 0.22%
65 2,128 9.83% 0.21%
66 1,949 7.53% 0.20%
67 1,766 3.60% 0.18%
68 1,751 11.69% 0.18%
69 1,486 1.27% 0.15%
70 1,470 2.91% 0.15%
71 1,449 3.01% 0.15%
72 1,415 7.58% 0.14%
73 1,402 13.05% 0.14%
74 1,332 3.14% 0.13%
75 1,293 11.35% 0.13%
76 1,281 5.65% 0.13%
77 1,208 2.82% 0.12%
78 1,162 8.84% 0.12%
79 1,160 6.19% 0.12%
80 1,139 2.34% 0.11%
81 1,101 9.94% 0.11%
82 1,037 1.75% 0.10%
83 963 2.80% 0.10%
84 853 6.93% 0.09%
85 744 3.63% 0.07%
86 645 4.67% 0.06%
87 625 2.85% 0.06%
88 596 2.92% 0.06%
89 590 1.99% 0.06%
90 580 3.37% 0.06%
91 570 2.62% 0.06%
92 534 3.05% 0.05%
93 532 5.10% 0.05%
94 468 5.82% 0.05%
95 372 2.64% 0.04%
96 336 3.63% 0.03%
97 195 1.79% 0.02%
98 127 3.76% 0.01%
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Methodology

This ranking list is based on data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ACS is one of the most reliable sources for understanding population trends across different locations, and it provides estimates for various racial and ethnic groups at city, county, state and all geography levels down to the Census block group.
This list ranks county in North Carolina by their German population, using the most recent ACS data available.

How the Census defines German population

The U.S. Census Bureau allows people to self-identify their ancestry, meaning individuals can write upto ancestries when responding to the survey. In this ranking, we include everyone who identifies as having German ancestry, whether alone or in combination with another ancestry.
Here are a few important things to know about how ancestry is reported:
  • Some people identify as German alone, while others identify as German along with another race (such as German and German).
  • We’ve used the “German alone or in any combination” category unless noted otherwise, which gives a broader picture of the German population in each area.

How We Ranked the Data

This ranking is based on the total number of people who identified as German alone or in combination in county. To provide additional context, we’ve also included two key percentages:
  1. % of Total County Population – This shows what percentage of the total state population identifies as German .
  2. % of Total North Carolina German Population – This tells us how much of the entire U.S. German population lives in that state.
To keep things simple, all population numbers have been rounded to the nearest whole number, and percentages are rounded to one decimal place. Because of rounding, some percentages may not add up to exactly 100%.

Things to Keep in Mind

Like all survey-based data, ACS estimates come with some limitations. Here are a few things to be aware of:
  • In places with very small German populations, the numbers may not be reported at all due to privacy protections or sampling variability in the survey.
  • Since the ACS is based on a sample, the numbers are estimates, not exact counts. That means they may slightly differ from other sources like the decennial U.S. Census.
  • County that don’t have any reported German population are not included in the ranking but are listed separately below for reference.
This ranking is meant to provide a clear, data-driven look at where German populations are most concentrated while keeping the numbers easy to understand.

Sources

  1. 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates.
  2. 2023.